“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and
he's not the same man.”
― Heraclitus
It has been nine years since the last
time I attended a police academy. I was only nineteen years old then, young, inexperienced, and
with the exception of high school, I hadn't really done much. I graduated from
Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy, but following graduation I decided to put
my law enforcement dreams on hold.
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| Recruit Loren during his Army years |
I worked odd jobs here and there including a handful of security positions,
professional mixed martial arts as well as a few years delivering furniture. I
eventually went back to college at the University of South Florida and earned a
Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice while concurrently being part of the Army
Reserve Officer Training Corps. I felt a deep calling to serve my country so I
signed a four year contract with the Army and was commissioned as an officer.
The next handfuls of years were an absolute blur; a metaphorical tornado of
time, mixing pain and awesome memories in a nearly indescribable whirlwind of
maturing.
During my military tenure (Light Infantry) I jumped out of a few planes,
learned how to thoroughly PowerPoint stuff, and lead people in stressful
conditions. I learned a lot about life and myself; while also trusted with
extreme responsibility and millions of dollars of equipment. I met amazing
people / leaders, worked long hours, and carried heavy weight long distances in
unforgiving terrain. Looking back, I wouldn't trade the experience for the
world. It was the uncomfortable path of the warrior and there is nothing I am
more proud of in my life so far. (Especially knowing that I made a difference
as a Platoon Leader).
Fast forward four years and I was promoted to Captain. My Army contract was
about to be up and I knew it was my time to move on. The Army was great to me
while it lasted, but I knew my next career step. I wanted to become a peace
officer. I was a different man than when I was nineteen.
I resigned my Army commission and focused all my energy on getting hired.
After researching all the departments in Colorado, Lakewood looked to be
everything I was looking for.
I wanted to surround myself with top notch, like-minded people who are
there to make a positive difference. People who strived to be the best and
Lakewood was without a doubt it. After months of withstanding strenuous hiring
testing got the awesome news. I was offered a position as a recruit at
the Combined Regional Academy class 2015-03. I can't begin to explain how lucky
I felt and still feel today. There were hundreds of initial applicants and
eight of us got the conditional job offer in the end. Enough incoherent recruit
rambling...off to the academy.
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| Arrest Control Classroom |
Week zero – All Lakewood personnel came in a week prior to the official start date
in order to ensure we were ready to start the following week. In my opinion,
this prep week speaks volumes about the department. The academy hadn't even
started yet and the instructors were doing everything in their power to set us
up for success.
We got sized for uniforms, completed admin / benefits paperwork, received
various blocks of instruction, and got issued temporary identification badges.
After day two, I realized I made the right department decision. Every person
that I met was intelligent, ethical, humble, and genuine. The best part of all
was that they all had common sense. We also got that Friday off for admin time. This was a great time to
buy the only four items that are not provided by Lakewood - duty weapon (your choice of Glock 17 or M&P 9mm with optional mounted
light), holster, magazine pouch, and black boots that need to be shine-able.
I purchased the Glock 17 (from Neves), TLR1 light, Safariland Level II 6280
holster, Safariland Model 79 magazine pouch (from Amazon), and Danner boots (the department generously contributes $150 towards boots).
As for the academy instructors, they were wealths of knowledge and innate
teachers. There was no yelling, no mind games, and no one was hoping that you
fail. You were given enough time to eat lunch casually, breaks every hour and
if you stay late you actually got compensated for it. I went home to my awesome
wife and dogs with a huge smile on my face every night. Having a set schedule
is amazing compared to what I was used to.
Tip - From the date of conditional hire to week zero - You should STUDY
LAKEWOOD GEOGRAPHY (Street Rotation attached). You are expected to know the full
street rotations by heart. If I could do one thing different, I would have
started studying geography months ago. Once the academy starts your primary
focus will be on the weekly tests. Study geography before this happens. I
currently feel like a hypostomus plecostomus (sucker fish – remember, I’m from
Florida) thrown into a tank full of algae. It is going to be awhile before I
don't feel like an overwhelmed rookie in this million gallon figurative fish
tank of law enforcement knowledge.
Week One - Academically it was like drinking from a fire hose. There were forty-four of
us, all from different walks of life, and all there to accomplish the same
dream.
Right place, right time, right uniform, right attitude, week one was easy
stuff in my opinion.
Typical days start with inspection formation at 0745 and conclude at 1700. During the first week we learned the rules of the academy, were personally
welcomed by the Chief, got issued / ordered our gear, conducted physical
training, and had eight blocks of instruction. The overall quality of people
truly surpassed my expectations.
I do remember throwing up (a little, I’m not gonna lie) as a result of
attempting to win the PT test. Unfortunately, I ended up getting 2nd,
but no excuses.
Tip - Week one - Prepare for the PT test / acclimate your body to the high
altitude. The PT test consists of a quarter mile run, 40 air squats (you sit on
a medicine ball to ensure proper form), 30 situps, 20 pushups, 10 pull ups. You
take this pt test three times total throughout the academy and the first one is
on day one. Most of the work outs are body weight crossfit workouts with
minimal running.
We have a lot more training to look
forward to. It will be interesting for me (and, I hope, you) to see how a
couple more months has changed, tempered or reinforced my initial impressions.
Check back!
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